February 9, 2009

I have decided to keep the leather pants. In a way I like how they're not skin tight, they're very comfy. Today whenever someone said something I didn't care to hear I imagined all the leather in my outfit interrupting, it was for some reason very amusing!

"Tavi, if you keep drawing whiskers and ears on all your Q's you'll have to redo you-""LEATHUHHHHH"A lot of leather for one outfit, but I tried to make it more businessy with the belt and playful with the polka dot shirt and hair thang. I sort of had this image of this AWESOME guy (found via Elizabeth's NYT article) in my mind when I got dressed but sadly no one will ever come close to the epicness that is JEAN-PAUL:he's the dude on the left...stop being so ridonksulously amazing and having cooler friends than me!And now for something Paul McCartney won't yell at me for (it's all vintage, okay?)! I'd like to remind you guys to ask before you use my photos. Intellectual property lesson: the moment you publish a photo on your blog, it belongs to you, and no one can use it without permission. A note about this and my email is in my sidebar, and if you've looked through my blog enough to find photos and write an article on it, you've probably seen the message. Recently I got an email from a magazine asking if they could publish an article about my blog, to which I politely said no since, well, they asked, and if you ask about whether or not you can do something it means you will accept a yes or no. A few days later I got a comment from a reader saying they'd seen me in the same magazine. Should I insert a "T_T" or express how dumb I find that in a slouchy lazy teenager pose?I hate being a mean old hag and having to ask people to take down one of my photos when they wrote something really sweet! Seriously! No one should take pride in being mean! Journalist people, I know "12 YEAR OLD BLOGGER" sells papers because apparently the youth is entirely composed of brainwashed Disney zombies and anyone below the age of 20 doesn't know how to think, but you need permission to use photos first.I know it can be annoying when people state the obvious, but it had to be restated. Thanks guys. x

Huh. Why bother to ask if they were going to barge ahead anyway? If they were going to write about you regardless they should have been asking for a comment rather than permission. Then you would have know what was going on.

amazing! do they give you any attitude at school for dressing so amazingly cool? i always wonder, because ANY "distractions" at my schools we NOT ALLOWED..not saying you are a distraction, but i would imagine that everyone envious and eying your style would be a bit distracting.

You are very lucky if you get to work these looks at school every day, very lucky!

it's funny that you put up that pic of Jean-Paul because i just found his blog! what a coin-kee-dink.i think i may be offended by his fierce-ness :0but might i ask why you wouldn't want all the exposure?most people would kill to be famous the way you are becoming.

katkatkat-I didn't start this blog to get a head start in a fashion career, so there's not really any purpose for press other than ego feeding, which is an awful reason to begin with. If it's something that allows me to contribute creatively, I'm more happy to do it, but what's the point of lots of exposure otherwise, yeah? I shouldn't feel obligated to take a bunch of press and offers just because other people would "kill" for it. I'm 12, I don't need to be in a bunch of magazines.

Hi, I've only recently started reading your blog (well, a few months ago) and I think your style is amazing. But I just wanted to say, how much I admire you for saying what you do about people's reactions to a 12 year old blogger. In fact, no, a 12 year old who can write a sentence, seems to shock people.

I'm nearly 17 and go so much hassel. I'm a fashion student at college at certain tutors who teach English Lit. , or even just random people I meet look down at you like your incapable of understanding a book intended for a pre-school kid. Then you tell them your reading Jack Kerouac or Shakespeare because you LIKE to, and it's 'Oh...REALLY?'

I know it's a slightly odd thing to comment about, but this whole, 'Hold the Papers! Youth's actually have...Working Brains!' thing does get really annoying and like I said, I really admire you for actually pointing out that we really arn't as dumb and braindead as people think.

alyssa-Thankfully my school is very laid-back about dress codes, just as long as it's not inappropriate.

anonymous-You bring up a very good point, I feel rather stupid now for not thinking about this earlier. With blogs I always ask, but with sites like store websites, foto decadent, or style.com it's hard emailing them for permission. I always try to give credit, and never say anything negative about a photo of someone else's so there's no defaming. I should really think more about this, thank you for bringing it to my attention..

I am a Disney zombie. I love Miley Cyrus. The Jonas brothers make me swoon. (Not that the word "swoon" is in my vocabulary.)Of course I'm not! It's extremely frustrating to know that adults think of kids like that, but it's even more frustrating to realize that they think of kids like that because most kids ARE like that. And then those kids will grow up to think like that and laugh and say "I was never a Disney zombie!" even though they were and the cycle goes on and on . . . egads. On a happier note, I love this outfit. I'm conflicted on the leather pants: part of me says "you look awesome in them, I'm so glad you kept them!" and the other part says, "drat I really wish you had put them on ebay because then I could've bought them." ;-)

Hi Tavi, no, your instincts on this are correct. When you use a photo from a fashion show and add your own commentary, for example, that's called "fair use"... you are making an editorial comment on something already out there in the fashion news world. You also always credit your sources, and say you will be happy to remove photos if requested.

But your blog is not a megamedia corporate conglomerate, and your photos here of yourself ARE protected content, which you own, and which you have every right to say how and if they will be used.

You are a kid, and you have every right to be a kid, and not have your image and "story" be exploited by lazy journalists looking to bring hits to their site, or buyers to their magazines.

It might be a losing battle, of course, but you are right to try to fight it anyway.

Oh my lord you look So Amazing! (I'm not even noticing those 2 escaped members of New Edition in the other photo. Yes, I am that old.) Applause to you Ms Tavi for rocking those leather pants so very very hard.

ohhhhhhhhhh Tavi- you are soooo funny! i am still chuckling about the "LEATHUUUU"! really cool outfit today. also, i completely respect the thing about photos. the problem is, not very many other people (like magazine journalists) do. and i totally agree with hazel (first comment).

I love what you've done with the socks over the leather pants - it makes them look like were made to be worn like that! You're probably one of the only people to rock double leather and pull it off outside of a sexpo! You and Jean Paul.

you've been looking so much more grown up lately. you've gone from cute to beautiful (:anyway, those people from that magazine should've known better. they could get in some serious trouble for doing that, and they're just plain stupid if they don't do what people ask them to. seriously. there's a difference between being a 15 year old girl who has a fashion blog and being some big magazine. and i'm sure if you asked a blogger to take it down, she would happily do it, but the fact that a magazine, probably run by adults, doesn't care to do what you tell them to is pissing me off.

Babe, if it's a mag that stole your pictures you should sue them and assure yourself a Rei wardrobe for eternity.

I think your attitude is magnificent on this: wouldn't it be so easy to give into the whole celebrity status thing and the perks it would bring? I like the way you think and I like your approach to blogging. Keep up the good work!

They legally have all the right to write a report about your blog, but not to publish your pics. At least in Spain you could report it and they should be fined. But still I don't think this pics are big enough (HQ) to be printed. What a shitty magazine shall it be then! Say the name!And I did use 3 months ago some of ur pics on my humble blog to devote you a post. Hope that's all right

aw im sorry tavs...why are people so dumb?you are anything but an old hag and people should definatly ask to use your ABSOLOUTELY EPIC pictures. there should be some sort of law against this, its not fair to make tavi sad xxx

I love him, who'da thunk men in high heels could look so chic? And as for people using your photos? Sue them. Sue their sorry behinds. I'm not, you know, entirely sure if that'd be legally feasible but you should try. Haaha, x

I know how annoying it is to have blog content stolen. In fact, I just wrote a post about this yesterday. Copyright protection is a huge issue, and I hope people start respecting bloggers' work and stop stealing it illegally. Keep up the inspiring work! You know you're doing something right when people want to re-publish it :)

I understand that they would have respect your "no", but, sorry, can I ask you why the hell you don't want to be quoted in a fashion magazine??? Anyway, I really like this outfit, and I keep following your blog, whatever your age is.S.

Ohhhh, ok, I got it: for you it's only a funny game...and when game crashes reality you suddendly come up with the "12 years old alibi".It's sort of useful this age issue...I think you should be more grateful to the fact that someone even ask you something like that. Then, yes, you can say "no thanks" and they have to deal whit it and respect it, but do not act like this, spoilt little girl, please,it's annoying.

Thanks guys <3Anon-Seeing as you don't understand why someone wouldn't want to be a press tool at the age of 12, it honestly doesn't make a difference to me if you find this blog "annoying" or not. You don't even have to be reading it. Congratulations, you wasted time that could be better spent learning how to spell.

TAVI-Sorry for my english, it isn't my language and it's difficult to me express my opinion using a language that I have never studied before. So, if you corrected me, instead of insult me, you would be more smart. But I don't ask so much...And then I enjoy reading your blog, otherwise I wouldn't be here, but I've found THIS post "boring" (is it better?) and I just want to comment it this way, and not to say, as I often do to your posts, "wonderful, beautiful, inspiring, you're a genius". I just want to point out that lots of people look for an opportunity like this (be published on a magazine)and be noticed for years. Because IT IS an opportunity. And you are so cocky to refuse it saying "no, please, I won't become your press tool". Come on little girl, don't be ingenuous: an article on a magazine isn't exactly "to become a press tool"!! You overrate yourself a bit...I'm sorry, again, for my bad english, don not esitate to correct me, but, please, go beyond the surface sometimes.

i don't even see why everyone is making a fuss. if she doesn't want to be in an article then that's her own decision and i think it should be respected. i would do the same tavi. and your outfit is the best.

Yes, I agree: it's her right to decline the offer, and it's my right to comment it, since this is a public access blog, isn'it?I was polite at the beginning, but then she starts being ironic and she offends me, so I don't see why I can not be blunt. I simply think that it's obvious that someone who starts blogging has some desires/needs of attention and would be honoured by recognitions like that. She get more visibility from this blog than from that little quotation, so stop showing the "I-don't-want-to-be-known" card.

By the way, all these "good wise girl, tavi!" are completely useless because she IS on a magazine, wtf she keeps playing the part of the ethic girl (what ethic, then??) that refuses to appear on a magazine because she isn't interested in being famous , omg no, but in being creative, of course. What an hypocrisy...

it seems like tavi and lots of other fashion bloggers are interested in sharing their style and perspective with like-minded people, being part of a fashion community where whatever your taste, you can express it. just because someone blogs it doesn't necessarily mean he/she wants to be in the media and gain ultimate fame and stardom. stop hating. jeez.

dammmthis outfit is amazingthe best oneso far in my opinionIluv leather mybe thats whylike really this is a shocker and sooooo coooljajathe guys are hilariousreminds me of that one guy from top modelsmiss Jwowers -miriammiriam12luv.blogspot.com

dammmthis outfit is amazingthe best oneso far in my opinionIluv leather mybe thats whylike really this is a shocker and sooooo coooljajathe guys are hilariousreminds me of that one guy from top modelsmiss Jwowers -miriammiriam12luv.blogspot.com

dammmthis outfit is amazingthe best oneso far in my opinionIluv leather mybe thats whylike really this is a shocker and sooooo coooljajathe guys are hilariousreminds me of that one guy from top modelsmiss Jwowers -miriammiriam12luv.blogspot.com

i think i saw that magazine.....:)).Intellectual property violation, much!! i get tavi's point, because people are making such a huge deal out of the fact that shes a 12-year old fashion blogger, that they overlook the substance of her entries, which is the whole point of her posting the blog. People prod her with all these comments like "Holy shit, shes 12?!?!" as if she were a circus freak, when really, that shouldnt be the basis for their judgement of tavi. Shes amazing and she'll forever be cooler than most of us in the blogsphere(myself included), but not just because shes 12.Have a great day :)

You are demode. It is one thing to be unattractive, but another to be stupid as you are. Not having english as your first language is no excuse! Non! I myself can speak 4 languages, without spelling errors. But I am a genius and you are...well. We do not need to go into that, hmm?You should feel honoured to have me speak directly to you.

But, if you say one more thing to my niece, Tavi, I will personally come and take off my sunglasses and stare you down. That's all.

what awesome family loyalty! i'm similarly backing up Uncle Karl. see, i heavily doubt tavi is playing the "i-don't-want-to-be-known" card. rather, she's playing something like the "i-don't-want-journalists-glorifying-a-blog-designed-to-be-recreational" card.

i mean the greatest insult that her decision warrants is a tad too much modesty. jeez...way it go tavi... but seriously, i mean anyone who mistakes her desire to dodge unwanted media spotlight for cockiness has got some serious issues.

bah, BUT THEN again, i guess disgruntled, opportunity-starved adults, kinda like these anonymous anemones above, have little else to go by. spose they're more or less just speaking in defence of their own failed grabs at opportunities in life. (oh-ouch! i dunno, maybe that's not completely justified)

smeh, all i can say is that i don't recommend these sad peepz take their anger out on a fashion blogger...who has achieved more recognition in a year? than most have tried for in a life-time.

I know this has already been stated, but I'd like to reiterate. I think you have a complete right to refuse to be in a magazine. In addition, your reasons for that don't matter-it is your decision. Shame on those deriding you for saying no to the magazine. Clearly it is your choice. I also don't believe that writing this blog means that you necessarily want to be in fashion magazines and the like. As you said, you started this blog to share your tastes and ideas, not for self-promotion.

I love to read your blog. I have a 5th grade stepsister (I'm 19), and I'm going to show it to her. Hopefully she will be inspired.

Keep up all the great work and know that I, and I'm sure many others, appreciate your work!

Well, older people will rely on us later so whatever they think of us, they will pay huh? :)oh my gosh, Jean-Paul is Dutch! He was in this Dutch magazine that came with the newspaper, in the same outfit and I totally ripped that page out and put it in my inspiration folder.. WOW he is amazing, it's such a shame that what he said 'teenagers here don't accept a female looking man and they spit and throw stuff on me..' like hello, you've got to appreciate art and culture like him..